PIL on chit fund scam: SC posts next hearing for Feb 11 after high drama

The Supreme Court on Tuesday posted the next hearing on the PIL filed by Aam Admi Party (AAP) leader Alok Jena on the multi-crore chit fund scam in the state for February 11, but not before some high drama in the court room in the afternoon.

Strongly objecting to the adjournment of the hearing till the last week of March by the court as sought by an advocate for the West Bengal part of the scam on health grounds earlier in the morning, senior lawyer Suresh Tripathy, counsel for petitioner Jena, said he was not informed about it as required under basic courtroom courtesy.

The counsel went a step forward and alleged that it was a well crafted conspiracy by the Odisha government, which was desperate for a long deferment of the case. He cited the threatening and intimidation of the petitioner by Odisha Crime Branch DSP Pramod Kumar Panda to prove his point. Tripathy backed his allegation with CCTV footage of Panda in front of the house in Dwarka where Alok Jena stays on January 19 and video recordings of him threatening Jena in front of the Supreme Court Canteen (Mukesh Canteen) recordings on January 22.

The petitioners had registered two FIRs – one in Dwarka police station on January 19 and the other in the Tilak Nagar police station on January 22 – the counsel pointed out making a strong case against a long adjournment in the case.

Convinced by the arguments of Jena’s counsel, the bench preponed the hearing from the last week of March to February 11.